PINK1 regulates mitochondrial morphology promoting mitochondrial fission in porcine preimplantation embryos.

Phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) on the outer membranes of impaired mitochondria promotes mitophagy and regulates mitochondrial morphology. Mammalian oocytes and early embryos are mitochondria rich, but mitochondrial dynamics during preimplantation embryo development is not well-studied. To investigate whether PINK1 is required for mitochondrial dynamics in porcine preimplantation embryos, gene knockdown and inhibitors were used, and mitochondrial dynamics were observed by transmission electron microscopy. knockdown significantly impaired blastocyst formation and quality, induced mitochondrial elongation and swelling, and reduced mitochondrial DNA copy number. knockdown-induced mitochondrial elongation caused mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and ATP deficiency, significantly increasing autophagy and apoptosis. Profission dynamin-related protein 1 overexpression prevented knockdown-induced impairment of embryo development, mitochondrial elongation, and dysfunction. Thus, PINK1 promotes mitochondrial fission in porcine preimplantation embryos.-Niu, Y.-J., Nie, Z.-W., Shin, K.-T., Zhou, W., Cui, X.-S. PINK1 regulates mitochondrial morphology promoting mitochondrial fission in porcine preimplantation embryos.